Researchers have identified a rare mushroom, Lanmaoa asiatica, as the source of vivid hallucinations of tiny human figures, a phenomenon reported for nearly a century across Southwest China, the northern Philippines, and Papua New Guinea. Scientists from the University of Utah have discovered that this wild bolete mushroom contains a hallucinogenic compound entirely unknown to science.
Locals in China's Yunnan province have long warned that undercooked Lanmaoa asiatica can cause extremely vivid hallucinations. Colin Domnauer, a co-author of the study, noted that reports consistently describe seeing dozens or hundreds of little people, approximately 3 to 30 centimeters tall, often appearing as elves, clowns, or fairy-like figures. These visions, known as 'Lilliputian hallucinations,' are named after the inhabitants of the fictional island of Lilliput in Jonathan Swift's novel Gulliver's Travels.
What makes these hallucinations unusual is their consistency. Reports from Yunnan describe elf-like creatures marching over tables and climbing under doors, interacting with the physical environment in a manner consistent with the laws of physics. For instance, one account described tiny people jumping off a spoon into a bowl of soup.
These strange occurrences first came to light in 1934 through reports from missionaries in Papua New Guinea who documented 'mushroom madness' after people consumed wild mushrooms and hallucinated tiny humans. Despite efforts in the 1950s and 1960s to identify psychoactive compounds in samples, including by Albert Hofmann, the discoverer of LSD, no known compounds were found. This led some scientists to believe the phenomenon might be sociocultural.
However, in the 1990s, scientists in Yunnan began linking similar hallucinations to bolete mushrooms, with Lanmaoa asiatica being a primary suspect. More recently, in 2024, Domnauer investigated accounts from an indigenous community in the Philippines who consumed a mushroom known locally as Sedesdem, which also induced visions of little people. DNA analysis confirmed that Sedesdem and the Chinese Jian Shou Qing were the same species.
"Now, three completely independent cultures have reported the same specific type of hallucination, and two cases are attributed to the same DNA–verified mushroom species," Domnauer stated. "That indicates that these bizarre psychological effects aren't cultural manifestations or coincidences – they must have a shared underlying chemical and neurological basis."
Tests on the mushroom samples revealed no known psychoactive compounds, confirming the presence of a novel hallucinogen. While Lilliputian hallucinations can be associated with other conditions such as alcohol withdrawal, dementia, and macular degeneration, the specific mechanism has remained elusive. Researchers suggest that Lanmaoa asiatica could serve as a valuable tool for future research into these phenomena.